Iranian proxy forces have continued conducting attacks against U.S. troops in Syria and Iraq following last week's U.S. strikes against two facilities linked to Iranian forces in Syria.
From Oct. 17 to Oct. 30, U.S. and coalition forces have been attacked at least 14 times at al Asad Air Base in Iraq and nine times at al Tanf garrison in Syria via a mix of one-way attack drones and rockets for a total of 23 attacks to date, a senior defense official told reporters on Monday. The total demonstrated an increase from late last week.
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"Many of these attacks were successfully disrupted by our military," the official said. "Most failed to reach their targets thanks to our robust defenses."
The U.S. military in eastern Syria targeted two facilities used by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps last Thursday.
“The President has no higher priority than the safety of U.S. personnel, and he directed today’s action to make clear that the United States will not tolerate such attacks and will defend itself, its personnel, and its interests,” Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said in a statement.
One of the facilities the U.S. targeted was a "weapons storage area," while the other was "an ammunition storage area," according to a senior military official.
Twenty-one U.S. service members were injured, albeit not severely, at the two air bases between Oct. 17 and Oct. 18. A U.S. contractor died after suffering cardiac arrest when an early warning system detected another possible threat, leading to people scrambling for shelter.
U.S. leaders, President Joe Biden included, have urged Iran not to escalate or involve itself with Israel's war with Hamas. Hamas, which is a U.S.-designated Iran-supported terrorist organization based in Gaza, carried out an unprecedented terrorist attack on Oct. 7 that killed roughly 1,400 people, the vast majority of whom were civilians. The carnage included families being butchered, civilians burned alive, torture, sexual violence, and more.
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Iran has forcefully spoken out against Israel's military response in Gaza, threatening to get involved in the conflict.
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian spoke in New York at the United Nations last week, where he warned the U.S. of "uncontrollable consequences" regarding its support for Israel.
Biden has reinforced the country's presence in the Middle East to attempt to deter Iranian aggression, though the continued attacks indicate that their bolstered presence may not be having the impact the president had hoped.